Most Americans eat some kosher food every day, but chances are they’re not aware of it. Take a walk down the aisles of any supermarket and you will see that certification appears on over 60% of America’s produced foods that are certified kosher, from the coveted Oreo to the thirst-quenching Coca-Cola. Over $150 billion of kosher certified products are consumed annually, and spending continues to rise dramatically.

Cheeses – When Waiting is Required

Below is a list of many varieties of cheese, along with the times for which they are aged. A check mark next to an entry indicates that the OU’s poskim maintain that one must wait after eating that specific cheese before then partaking of meat. One should also wait after eating pungent cheese, even if not aged, as is explained (note 7 ) that follows this chart. One should wait the same amount of time that one waits between meat and milk.

See below the chart for additional information.

Cheese

Aging Period

Waiting Required

American Cheese

Made from cheddar that is aged 2-3 months or less

Appenzeller Classic (Swiss-made)

3-4 months

Appenzeller Extra (Swiss-made)

Over 6 months

Appenzeller Surchoix (Swiss-made)

4-6 months

Asiago d´Allevo/Mezzano (Aged)

Aging widely varies. Consumers should carefully review the label for any indication of age.

Asiago d´Allevo/Mezzano (Young)

Aging widely varies. Consumers should carefully review the label for any indication of age.

Asiago d´Allevo/Stravecchio

Over 18 months

Asiago d´Allevo/Vecchio

9-18 months

Asiago Pressato (Fresh)

3-6 weeks

Bastardo del Grappa

3 months

Bleu (pungent cheese)

2-4.5 months

Brick (pungent cheese)

3 months

Brie

3-6 weeks

Caciocavallo (Aged)

Well beyond six months

Caciocavallo (Fresh)

2 months

Caciocavallo (Semi-aged)

up to 6 months

Caciotta al Tartufo

2-3 months

Caciotta Alpina

Up to 1 year

Caciotta di Pecora

30 days

Camembert (pungent cheese)

3-5 weeks

Cheddar (Medium, Sharp, Aged)

Close to 6 months, and up to 7 years (!)

Cheddar, Mild (Regular)

2-3 months

Chevre/ Goat Cheese

Usually aged for two weeks or less; however, if label says “aged” or states a specific cheese variety, may be aged much longer

Chevre/ Goat Cheese (Aged)

If label says “aged” or states a specific cheese variety

Ciliegene

1 week to 30 days

Colby

1-3 months

Edam

3 months

Emmental/ Swiss Cheese-Switzerland

6-14 months

Feta (Cow\'s Milk)

Brined 1 month

Feta (Goat or Sheep Milk)

Brined 3-6 months

Fiore Sardo

4-8 months

Fontina (Aged)

Aging widely varies. Consumers should carefully review the label for any indication of age.

Fontina (Young)

Aging widely varies. Consumers should carefully review the label for any indication of age.

Golden Jack

2 months

Gouda (Baby)

4-10 weeks

Gouda (Regular)

3 months

Gruyere

5 months- 12 months

Havarti (Aged)

1 year

Havarti (Regular)

3 months

Kashkaval (Aged)

Aging widely varies. Consumers should carefully review the label for any indication of age.

Kashkaval (Young)

Aging widely varies. Consumers should carefully review the label for any indication of age.

Leyden

3 months

Marble Cheese (Aged)

Aging widely varies. Consumers should carefully review the label for any indication of age.

Marble Cheese (Young)

Aging widely varies. Consumers should carefully review the label for any indication of age.

Mochego Curado

3-6 months

Monchego Fresco

2 weeks

Monchego Viejo

1 year

Montaggio

3-4 months

Montasio (Aged)

10 months

Montasio (Fresh)

2 months

Montasio (Semi-Aged)

5-9 months

Monterey Jack (American market)

2 months

Monterey Jack (Foreign Market)

Can be aged 6 months to 1 year (see also Dry Monterey Jack, above)

Monterey Jack, Dry

7-10 months

Morlacco, Morlacco di Grappa

20 days-3 months

Mozzarella

30 Days

Muenster

5-7 weeks

Parmesan

10-24 months or more

Pecorino Fresco

15 days-3 months

Pecorino Romano

6-8 months

Pecorino Sardo

8 months

Pepper Jack (American market)

2 months

Pepper Jack (Foreign Market)

Can be aged 6 months to 1 year

Piccante Provolone

6-12 months

Pressed Asiago

6 weeks

Primo Sale

Approximately 30 days

Provola dei Nebrodi

At least 6 months

Provola Sfoglia

3-4 months

Provolone, Dolce (Mild, Regular)

2-3 months

Provolone, Piccante

6-12 months

Queso Quesadilla

Less than 30 days

Reggianito

6 months

Romano

5-12 months

Scamorza

1 week

Speedy Piccante

At least 9 months

Stracchino

1-20 days

Stravecchio

1-3 years

Swiss (American made, Baby Swiss and Lacey Swiss)

3-4 months (see Emmental, above, for Swiss made in Switzerland)

Tabor

30 days

Tilsit

6 months (when produced correctly, although it is suspected that much Tilsit cheese is not aged anywhere near a 6-month period)

Waiting After Eating Hard Cheese: Some Hard Facts

We are familiar with the rule of refraining from consuming meat after eating certain types of cheese. In Yoreh Deah 89:2, the Remo writes, “And there are those who are strict and do not consume meat after eating cheese (source: Mordechai and Beis Yosef in the name of Maharam; v. Tur Yoreh Deah 89), and such is our minhag, that we do not eat any meat, even poultry, after hard cheese. And there are those who are lenient, and one should not protest their practice, but they must cleanse and rinse the mouth and wash the hands (before partaking of meat after cheese); however, it is preferable to be strict (and wait).” This is the basis for waiting the same time period after eating certain cheeses before then partaking of meat that one waits after eating meat before then partaking of dairy. (V. Taz ibid. s.k. 4.)

The Shach (ibid. s.k. 16) explains that “hard cheese” as referenced by the Remo means cheese which has aged (approximately) six months. Poskim note that after eating pungent, strong-tasting cheeses, one should similarly wait before eating meat, regardless of the cheese’s age. (V. Taz ibid. s.k. 4.)

It is the position of the OU’s poskim (halachic authorities) that one need only wait between eating aged cheese and meat if the cheese is of a variety that is intentionally aged in production, such as Parmesan (must be aged in production at least 10 months) and Emmental (much be aged in production at least 6 months). One need not wait after consuming non-aged cheese that is then incidentally aged on refrigerator shelves and exhibits the same texture and taste as it should exhibit in in its non-aged state.

However, it has come to our attention that some non-aged cheeses, if left to age in their packaging, may acquire a meshichas ta’am – a very potent taste – which is one of the factors that requires a person to wait after certain cheeses. (V. Taz. s.k. 4 and other poskim on Shulchan Aruch Yoreh 89:2.) Should a person notice that an otherwise non-aged cheese which has aged after production presents a very potent taste, or that it has acquired a brittle texture similar to that of aged cheeses, he should treat such cheese the same as regular aged cheese and wait the full period before consuming meat.

Notes:

1. As mentioned earlier and indicated in the words of the Shach, the six-month age is an approximation. The OU’s poskim thus maintain that cheeses aged within a general range of this period necessitate waiting.

2. American Cheese (“Process Cheese Food”) is not a true variety of cheese, as it is typically made from non-aged cheddar that is melted and mixed with additives, and is then solidified and molded. (American Cheese is the cheese industry’s equivalent of the hot dog; cheese experts often refer to American Cheese as “plastic”.)

3. Asiago d´Allevo/Mezzano, Fontina, Kashkaval and Marble Cheese vary widely in terms of age, and, unlike the case with most cheeses in the list, there exist no specific names or descriptive titles that denote the ages of these cheeses. Consumers should carefully review the labels of these cheeses for any indication of age.

4. Although goat and sheep milk Feta can be aged in brine for up to six months, the effects of aging cheese in brine are quite different than the effects of aging cheese in dry environments, the latter of which is the predominant method of aging cheese. Cheese which ages (or “ripens”, in technical cheese-making terminology) in dry environments loses moisture and gains firmness throughout the process, thereby creating “hard cheese” for the purposes of waiting before consuming meat. Brine appears to largely prevent such textural aging from occurring. Although there is almost no halachic literature on the subject, it would seem that aging Feta in brine for six months would not per se engender a waiting period before consuming meat. However, aging Feta in brine can impact Feta’s flavor and could create a significant potency of flavor that would necessitate waiting before consuming meat.

5. Some foods that “officially” contain very aged cheeses are often made with less expensive, fresh (non-aged) cheeses. (Aged cheese is more costly, as potential revenue is lost while the cheese ages.) For example, eggplant parmesan is frequently made with cheeses other than parmesan; many establishments instead use mozzarella as the primary cheese here. Consumers are advised to inquire when purchasing such foods.

6. The Yad Yehuda (YYK 89:30) comments that one need not wait after eating aged cheese that has been melted (as the cheese’s brittle texture is lost through melting). Many poskim, including those of the OU, rule like the Yad Yehuda on this point. However, there appears to be a dispute as to which foods the Yad Yehuda’s comment pertains: 1) The Yad Yehuda’s comment was written in reference to a tavshil shel gevina (a pareve food which contains cheese, with the cheese indiscernibly melted into the food); many poskim therefore maintain that the Yad Yehuda’s approach pertains only to foods into which aged cheese is melted as an unnoticeablecomponent (i.e. the cheese is not b’eyn). The OU adopts this approach. 2) However, the logic of the Yad Yehuda – that aged cheese which is melted loses its brittle texture and therefore should be treated like non-aged cheese - would appear to apply to any melted aged cheese, even if the cheese stands alone. Some poskim thus seem to apply the approach of the Yad Yehuda to any melted cheese; see Mesorah Journal v. 20, p.92, and see also Badei Ha-Shulchan: Bi’urim 89:2 d.h. V’ chain nohagin.

7. One should wait after eating some of the cheeses in the above list even though they are not aged long, due to their pungent taste (“meshichas ta’am”). Poskim rule that any cheese whose taste is noticeably pungent necessitates waiting. The need to wait after such cheeses is indicated by the words “pungent cheese” adjacent to relevant entries.

Rabbi Gordimer is a Rabbinic Coordinator at the Orthodox Union and is an expert in the kashrus of dairy products.